Godric's Hollow
by celtic-lyre
Summary: Though Harry hears the dying screams of his parents every time the Dementors draw near, the full events of that dark night are never revealed. Until now...LP/JP


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or a other trademark of JK Rowling. Yes, I did include a few lines from Prisoner of Azkaban in here. If it turns out to be illegal, I apologize, but it is necessary to the story. You'll see.  
  
Dedication: To NZ, even though it's not Ron/Hermione. Thank you for all of the encouragement, editing, and most especially for introducing me to FanFiction.  
  
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It was a cool night in Godric's Hollow, surprisingly mild for late fall. A strong wind hissed past the main avenue and made for the far outskirts of the little village. It slithered to where the park merged with the last backyards, and whispered in the leaves outside a red brick house. The house was neat and snug, cozily tucked out of sight behind a holly hedge. In fact, it was so well hidden; one could say it was..invisible to the common eye. The breeze slithered past a window, which opened to a warmly lit room. A young woman drew the blue shade and turned to the changing table that stood in a corner.  
  
"Well, Harry," she addressed the dark-haired baby lying upon it. "We'd better get you tidied up and into bed."  
  
The boy appeared to consider his mother's statement, thoughtfully blew a raspberry and proceeded to eat his foot. Lily Potter laughed, singing a little nonsense song as she changed Harry's nappy.  
  
Lily finished changing her son and lay him down in his star-dusted crib. As Harry snuggled up with his thumb in his mouth, Lily softly kissed his dark hair. "Good night my darling," she whispered. The young mother tiptoed out of the room, whispering "lumos finite," to extinguish the lights.  
  
She walked down the dark hall and into the fire-lit main room where her husband sat hunched over a paper-strewn desk. Lily paused for a moment in the doorway, watching him. James' black hair was mussed, long overdue for a trim, and a small crease formed between his eyebrows as he stared in concentration at the reports he mulled over.  
  
Softly, Lily padded over to stand behind his chair and gently kissed the nape of his neck. With start James turned around, his hand darting for an instant to the wand at his belt, but almost immediately he relaxed again. "You startled me, love," smiled James, pulling Lily down onto his lap. Lily straightened his crooked glasses, her red hair glowing in the firelight.  
  
"You've been more jumpy than usual lately," she said gently.  
  
James sighed as he raked a hand absently through his hair, mussing it again. "Dangerous times, Lily. Dangerous times," he muttered as he shuffled some papers to cover the ones he'd been working on. With a small frown, Lily closed her hand over his.  
  
"More reports for the Aurors?" It was not a question. Lily already knew what his answer would be. With a sigh, James set down his quill, spattering ink on the blotter.  
  
"Yes, love. Just a few updates on some recent disturbances." The wind grew louder as it hissed around the house. Lily blew out an exasperated breath. "James, we're in hiding. You don't need to stay mixed up in that, it's too big of a risk."  
  
James shifted uncomfortably, knowing what was coming. For the last eleven months it seemed that he and Lily had this conversation at least once a week. When Dumbledore had first suggested that the Potters "disappear" from the wizarding world, Lily, then eight months pregnant, had violently objected. But with the birth of Harry, Lily's fiery nature had calmed, and her worry increased.  
  
Nonplused by her husband's discomfort with the subject, Lily continued, her voice growing a bit frantic. " What if one of the..Others should find out that you're still reporting to the LAAD's*? They could trace the reports back to Godric's Hollow, and--"  
  
"Shh." James gently pressed a hand to her lips, stilling the flow of worries. "There is no way He can discover us here, love. Dumbledore's Fidelius Charms are unbreakable, you know that. We've discussed this before."  
  
"I know, I know." Lilly managed a small laugh. "My common sense tells me I'm being silly. But still, there is something in my heart that troubles me." And for a moment Lily's brilliant eyes dimmed, as she looked far off into the darkness.  
  
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"Lily? Darling, what's wrong?" James asked in alarm as a shudder rippled through his wife.  
  
"Hmm?" Lily's eyes focused as she drew back from the thoughts had been haunting her. She shook her head, clearing it. "I'm sorry, love. It's nothing. Just a bit of dizziness, that's all."  
  
James was not convinced. Lily's best class at Hogwarts aside from Charms had been Divination. She was a bit of a clairvoyant, and James suspected that her "dizziness" was in fact precognition. He watched with concern as she stood up and stretched, her long arms reaching towards the ceiling.  
  
"I'd better go check on Harry," Lily said as she kissed her husband on the forehead. Reassured, James turned back to his reports, listening to her footsteps grow fainter as she walked down the hall. Checking to make sure she was gone out of earshot, he pulled a letter out from beneath a pile of parchment. Frowning, he rubbed his eyelids with ink-stained fingers, trying to phrase the lines in the most delicate way possible.  
  
'My dear Professor Dumbledore,  
  
After your last owl, I felt the need to take an extra precaution in order to protect my family and my friend. Earlier this week, Sirius approached me with this proposition: switch the bearer of the Fidelius Charm. I can assure you, this was not an act of cowardice on Sirius's part. His work as a LAAD and his known connection with me make him a prime target for the Dark Lord's forces. Sirius felt that someone least likely, unsuspectabe, should be the bearer, and I have come to agree. Therefore, I have made my old friend Peter Pettigrew our Secret Keeper. Hoping that you are in good health.  
  
With sincere affection, James Potter'  
  
As James finished the letter, a blast of wind hurled itself at the window. The shutters swung open, scattered papers flying across the floor. James swore softly and went to the window, drawing his wand to lock seal the broken lock together. Glancing out into the night shadows, he froze. He slammed the window shut, running towards the hall. He almost knocked over Lily, hurrying from Harry's room.  
  
"What was that noise? James, I told you that the new Meld-It charm wasn't going to keep those shutters.."  
  
Lily stopped as she saw her husband's face. James grabbed her shoulders in a vise-like grip. Though he was shaking, his voice was steady as he spoke. "Lily. Take Harry and go."  
  
"James, what.."  
  
"Lily! It's HIM."  
  
"Oh dear God," Lily gasped.  
  
"There's no time." He was all business now, pushing her towards their son's bedroom as he talked. "Remember the plan. Floo powder to the Shrieking Shack.."  
  
Lily finished, reciting the instructions she knew by heart, "..through the passage, and onto Hogwarts grounds."  
  
"And then?" James prompted, backing slowly down the hallway.  
  
"Then.." Lily's voice cut off as the tortured whine of tearing iron reached their ears. Convulsively, she grabbed James' arm, her eyes widening with fear.  
  
"Go." James commanded, breaking from her grasp and dashing towards the front room "GO!"  
  
Lily ran, checking tears as she rushed towards the room where her baby lay sleeping. But she stopped just short of the door, her legs freezing beneath her.  
  
Turning, Lily faced James. His hand stayed frozen on the living room door, as green light crept through the cracks.  
  
"James," she whispered. "Oh, James!"  
  
His chin lifted resolutely, and his voice commanded. "Get Harry, Lily! I'll hold him off."  
  
"James, NO!"  
  
The house shook for a moment, a flash of light giving his face a greenish cast.  
  
"Lily, listen to me. You have to get out of here. Get Harry out of here! Now go!"  
  
His eyes, brown and strong, locked with her tear-filled gaze. In that moment, their future tearing apart as was the very house around them, Lily and James said goodbye.  
  
'I love you'  
  
Drawing his wand, James charged out into the living room, locking the door behind him. The crack of splintering wood echoed through the house.  
  
Lily made no sound, focusing now only on her baby. She must protect him. Lily dashed into the room and faced Harry, who was standing straight up in bed, his green eyes wide.  
  
"Come along darling," Lily choked as she grabbed him up in her arms. Holding him tight, she ran across the hall to her own room. A she crossed the threshold, a high-pitched buzzing filled her ears, and the green light intensified into a blinding flash. Thrown to her knees, Lily cradled Harry, too frightened to make a sound. A muffled thud echoed from the living room..  
  
Lily stifled a sob as she scrambled from the floor, snatching a jar of Floo powder from the mantle above the fireplace. Scattering the sparkling dust into the flames, she waited for the fire to turn green. But the door shook, He was here, there wasn't time, wasn't time...  
  
In that moment of frenzied panic, Lily's Muggle instincts, suppressed by eighteen years of wizardry, kicked in. Straddling Harry on one hip, she hurled the Floo jar through the window. Leaping onto the window seat, Lily crunched glass, sticking one foot onto the roof outside. Too late! The door burst open, and tall shape filled the doorframe.  
  
"..James?" Lily hardly dared hope. There he was, her own darling love, his face bruised, hair wild, but alive.  
  
"Lily!" He reached out to her, his green eyes glowing with love.  
  
Harry let out a terrified cry. Green? "NO!!" Lily screamed, falling back onto broken glass. There He stood, glamour stripped away, the Dark Lord towering over his helpless victim. No. She would not be murdered like a cringing fool, longing for death if only to end her terror. Lily rose slowly until she stood before Voldemort, eyes lowered from his burning gaze. Then, quick as a flash, she grabbed her wand from her belt, aiming it straight for his chest. But He was faster. With an icy laugh, he contemptuously motioned with his wand, flicking Lily's over her head and out the window. As she scrambled in despair for something to strike Him with- anything- He began to mutter a strange incantation. A thread of greasy gray sparks issued from the wand of the Dark Lord, circling around Harry and yanking him from his mother's arms.  
  
"No!" Lily cried.  
  
Slowly, tantalizingly, the wand guided Harry over Lily's head and towards the window. With a strangled cry, Lily threw herself in front of her child. The sparks, blocked, released their hold, and Harry plopped softly onto the window seat.  
  
"No!" Lily's voice rang out. "No. Not Harry!"  
  
At last Voldemort spoke, his voice hissing more menacingly than the wind. "Stand aside, you silly girl..stand aside now!"  
  
Lily stood still, every nerve in her body straining to resist the compelling command of that awful, awful voice.  
  
"Please," she said, her voice weak.  
  
She glimpsed a tongue flicked quickly in frustration over the thin lips beneath the shadow of His hood. Voldemort's voice lowered, growing oily, soft. "You do not have to die tonight. It's not you that I want."  
  
Lily's whole body was trembling now, and, unwillingly, a foot began to lift from the wood floor. She groaned, as Voldemort's lips began to widen in a small smile. The edges of her vision grew fuzzy, but she struggled desperately to remain conscious, her husband's face, his words, fixed in her mind:  
  
'Get Harry out of here'  
  
"James," she gasped, his name giving her the strength to stand upright.  
  
Undaunted, the Dark Lord continued his in his hissing speech, slowly gliding closer to Lily. "Even now, it is not too late. I am more powerful than even you have guessed. Your husband is not yet dead.."  
  
Lily's eyes flashed with hope, but she did not budge.  
  
"Even now," He whispered, "You can help him before it is too late. Just step aside..."  
  
"Not Harry!"  
  
Voldemort's voice grew harsh as he closed the remaining distance between them. "Of course," he spat "There are other ways to join him!"  
  
Black light shot from his wand, striking Lily's legs. She screamed in pain, but stayed standing, a trembling shield, but not broken.  
  
"Have mercy," she murmured, eyes glazing.  
  
"Stand aside!" More light sparked from the wand as the smell of scorched flesh filled the room.  
  
"Not Harry, please no!"  
  
The air grew shadowy, oily smoke coiling around the two figures.  
  
Lily's eyes filled with tears as she choked on the acrid smoke. "Take me, kill me instead...I'll do anything, anything, just please, not Harry!"  
  
Voldemort's eyes flamed at her defiance. He raised his wand, leveling it with her head. "Then you leave me no choice."  
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The fall wind swept through the still-smoldering embers of a red-brick house. It whistled under fallen beams, stirring up puffs of ash and acrid fumes, wafting them up towards the dimming stars. It ruffled a tendril of red hair amidst a pool of melting glass, then moved farther on, squeezing through the empty lens of a shattered pair of glasses.  
  
Faintly over the popping sound of dying sparks, came the roar of a motor bike. A storm of ash flew up as the machine landed, hardly settling on the ground before a pair of black boots hit the ground. Pacing frantically over dead leaves and cracked wood, the boots were soon followed by a pair of knees as Sirius Black sank to the floor. A scrap of paper fluttered by, blown by the wind. Snatching it from the air, Sirius turned it to the light of the fading flames. Obscured by soot and his own tears, he could still make out two words:  
  
Peter Pettigrew. 


End file.
